The Chemistry of f-Block Cyclobutadienide Sandwich Complexes

The project falls broadly into the research field of organometallic chemistry, with a specific focus on the structure, bonding, reactivity and magnetism of f-block sandwich complexes. The project will build on recent ground-breaking results from the Layfield group (see recent publication in Science) in which the first single-molecule magnet (SMM) to show hysteresis above liquid-nitrogen temperatures was described. For the new project, we will extend these findings to new systems based on the 'sandwich' structural motif involving lanthanides and uranium. The primary aim of the project is to develop new molecular magnets in which the electronic structure can be modified in a controlled way through synthetic organometallic chemistry, ultimately expanding the family of high-temperature SMMs.